


A Love Not Spoken

by Nymph (Treekianthia)



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Ficlet, Simple Format, short works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-02-03 21:06:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18587734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treekianthia/pseuds/Nymph
Summary: A short ficlet about Tressa, Therion, and falling in love.





	A Love Not Spoken

**Author's Note:**

> Normally I don’t post works shorter than 2K words, but I’m feeling a TheriTressa drought right now and figured I’d fix that by writing something for them. Nothing particularly amazing, just something soft and gentle.

They loved each other in silence.

Therion was a thief, and Tressa a merchant. He lived to steal, and she to buy and sell. He would take when she wasn’t looking, and she would pay when he insisted it was an easy swipe. They were always arguing over their plan of action, and it was not unnoticed by those around them. They did not see eye to eye on many of the things they did.

Yet they still grew close.

Therion did not know why he had agreed to help Tressa on that fateful day. He had been traveling alone, but her town had been plagued by pirates. He found himself talking to her, and she told him the story of Rippletide’s woes. Perhaps he thought he could steal from the pirates, or perhaps he needed a way to vent his anger with the noble girl who chained him. Either way, he found himself gaining an ally that day,

She was not the last one, as on their travels many others joined them. A scholar, a hunter, a dancer, a warrior, an apothecary, a cleric… All people with their own paths to walk. Tressa was the one who agreed to help them, and Therion followed in hopes of obtaining info for his own goals. He told himself he could leave whenever he wanted if it became too much, but he never did. He barely even tried.

Wherever they went, the thief and merchant found themselves bickering. They both continued to use their skills to obtain what they needed, but the other would look at them with either annoyance or quiet scorn. Over and over their companions told them that perhaps one of them should stay behind, but neither of them wanted to step down. Tressa did not want to give in to a thief, and Therion did not want the merchant to think she had won. They did not budge, and only continued to move side by side.

It was when old memories began to stir that things began to change.

Therion became even more distant, and Tressa began to take notice. He was not eating, sleeping, or talking with anyone they traveled with. Tressa grew concerned, and she tried to find out what was wrong. Therion, however, only built his walls higher. He wouldn’t let anyone in, no matter how hard they tried. He wanted to be alone.

“Please, tell me what’s wrong,” she asked him one night. She had snuck out of the inn to look for him and found him staring at the night sky. It was something he had been doing a lot recently.

“It’s none of your business,” he answered harshly. Normally such a reaction would annoy Tressa, but she only moved closer. She sat down next to him.

“I’m your friend though, aren’t I? I want to help you,” she said to him. Even if they were always bickering, they had still been traveling together for months. Tressa believed that warranted some kind of friendship.

Therion was silent, choosing not to answer. Tressa placed her hand on his and promised him that everything would be okay. Everyone was there to help him, and even if the others left, she’d stick by his side. That was the promise she had made to him when he helped her, and it was one she planned to keep. No good merchant ever broke a promise.

Therion broke down in response.

Normally he was one who kept his emotions in check, but as he told Tressa of his past it grew harder. At first he was angry, speaking of his betrayal through gritted teeth. Then he was loud, shouting about how he had lost his sense of trust. He was scaring Tressa, but she stayed and listened. She didn’t want him to be left alone.

Then, he was crying. He stopped mid-sentence, and the tears began to fall. Tressa held him close, saying nothing but rubbing his back lightly. There wasn’t anything she could say to make his pain go away, but she did her best to do what she could. Even when his tears stopped, she continued to keep him close.

They did not speak of what happened after they returned to the inn. Though their companions had realized they left and jokes were made, they did not pry the two about what had occurred. They could tell that it was not their business.

When their travels continued, the thief and merchant found themselves bickering less and less. Though they still argued from time to time, they found they shared some common ground: they both had an eye for treasure. Their methods for procuring items still differed, but they both had an appreciation for the items obtained.

Tressa could feel something inside her changing, and she put Therion in a softer light. She no longer called him a dirty thief and continued to insist that he was her friend. Therion took notice of this and teased her for the change of heart. She grew embarrassed, but she continued to be kind. He needed more kindness in his life after all.

Therion could feel himself begin to change too. He grew more protective of Tressa and took more notice of men who looked at her the wrong way. Though he trusted her to go out on her own, he always wanted to tag along. Even when he wasn’t trying to keep her safe, he just wanted to be by her side. She had become his greatest treasure.

“I don’t want to lose you,” he told her on a snowy afternoon. They were coming to the end of his journey, and they had been bickering again. He had called her a brat in annoyance, and she hadn’t taken it well. She stormed off in a huff, and he had to go after her. This town wasn’t safe.

“Should’ve thought about that before you insulted me,” she grumbled as she continued to walk away. She was angry at him, and he could tell. She had a habit of constantly puffing out her cheeks when she was.

“You’re too important for me to let you go,” he added on. That got Tressa to stop, and she turned to look at him. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, and snowflakes stuck to her hair.

Nothing needed to be said when their eyes met. They were both quiet, and in that moment it felt like they were the only ones to exist. The world around them faded away, and all that could be heard was the sound of their beating hearts. They knew how the other felt from their eyes alone. Therion’s eye was kind and gentle, and Tressa’s were happy and full of life.

They shared a quiet embrace as the snow fell around them. For a moment, Tressa wanted them to run away and never look back, but she knew they couldn’t. They had to finish what Therion had started.

The battle was harsh and bloody. They were not alone during the fight, as their companions followed right behind them, but they were still injuries all around. Therion spoke of love and trust as his enemy looked down and scorned him, and Tressa felt her grip on her spear grow tighter. Even if they had not said a word, she and Therion had forged an unbreakable bond. It helped them procur victory on their side.

With his mission done, Therion was freed from the chain that shackled him. He was free to leave his companions, and had no reason to see the others fulfill their own goals. They were not of his concern, and they would not reward him for staying. He would make more money leaving the group than continuing to tag along, and he had already become an expert at survival. Even with his returned trust, he was used to being on his own.

Yet he would not leave so easily.

“You still have a fair to attend,” the thief told the merchant as they left the manor. Their companions had stayed behind at the inn, but Tressa had asked to tag along. She held his hand in hers.

“Will you go with me?” she asked him as they walked. She knew Grandport was far away, and she wasn’t sure if he wanted to stick around for the journey. Even if their bond was strong, he was not one to settle down easily.

“How could I possibly leave you to go to such a large gathering of treasures all alone?” he asked in response. There was a mischievous smile on his face, and she could tell he was planning something.

“You’re going to get us in trouble!” she teased. Therion was good at what he did, but there were still times he made mistakes. That was the risk of his roguish path, though he continued to smile.

“I have no reason to take any of the treasures that we’ll see there,” he assured her despite the glint of mischief in his eye. Tressa raised an eyebrow and began to laugh.

“I don’t believe a word you’re saying!” she said as she pinched his cheek. He scowled slightly, but still gave her a soft look after. He was looking into her eyes.

“Why would I need to take the treasure of others when I already have the greatest treasure right in front of me?”

Tressa could not hide her blush and stuttered nonsense as she let go of Therion’s hand. He was chuckling, and she covered her face in embarrassment. As a thief, Therion had learned to be good with his words. They were different than a merchant’s, which were used to help sell their wares, and went straight to her heart. Even if thieves were not always to be trusted, she could tell he spoke the truth.

Even if they did not say it, she knew he loved her, and she loved him in return.


End file.
